Poor visibility can greatly reduce the ability of a diver to return to a dive boat (or shore location) on his ascent. Safety guide lines, or cords, have been provided in the prior art on reels that are carried by the diver. In use, the diver follows the guide line to return to the exact origin of descent. These reels require attention and constant winding/unwinding by the diver during underwater activity to so as to maintain a direct line back to his ascent location, which is considered to be both distracting and counter-productive to the activities in which the diver may be involved. Additionally, reels that do not include some type of “line leveler” device may become tangled and, as a result, less line can be stored on the reel because of inefficient distribution of the line across the reel. Prior art devices do not adequately address these problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,920, issued to Brisky on Nov. 26, 1991, puts forth a device flag line dispenser apparatus which comprises a hand-held line and reeling structure arranged in combination with a flotation buoy typically utilized in diving events. A tether line is secured to the dive buoy at one end and wound about a hand-held portable device to effect winding and reeling of the tether line to permit ease of return of a diver to the flotation buoy. The winding and reeling device further includes a separate cage member, including a spool formed with a triangular cross-sectional configuration groove to receive in a convenient and non-snap manner the tether line that is directed through a generally triangular opening formed within the cage head.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,791,490 issued to King on Sep. 14, 2004, discloses a scuba diving flag/float assembly that is used to support a GPS antenna on the surface of the water for use by divers in performing underwater navigation. An associated GPS receiver is integrated with a dive flag line take-up mechanism, such as a spool or scuba diving line reel. The dive flag line and cable interconnecting the GPS receiver to the GPS antenna is integrated within a single assembly, or in an alternative embodiment, braided together forming a single tether. Other embodiments include optional sensors such as a flowmeter, compass, tiltmeter, depth gauge and others to compensate for navigational errors due to a water current pushing a dive flag/float away from a diver. Alternatively, a GPS receiver may be mounted on (or in) the dive flag/float assembly, with navigational information relayed to the diver under the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,705,697 issued to Chagnon on Dec. 12, 1972, discloses a scuba diving reel that straps to the forearm of a diver and includes a wedging means to fix the unwound line at a particular length.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,201 issued to Jonushaitis on Aug. 24, 1993, teaches a mobile hand-held line reel apparatus for feed out, and uptake of a line comprising a base member, an axle extending from the base member, a spool rotatably mounted on the axle, a spool retainer, a line retainer, a brake lever mounted on threadably engaging the axle, and a brake lever movement limiting projection. The brake lever can be operated by the same hand that holds the reel. The brake lever is threadably mounted on the axle next to the spool and when the brake lever is moved through a braking stroke, the lever and spool move along the axle, thus increasing the friction between the brake lever and the spool as well as between the spool and a fixed element of the reel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,486 issued to Campbell on Jul. 12, 1988 defines a scuba diving reel comprising a hand-held frame rotatably mounting a line receiving spool on which a length of line is wound. A coupling member is provided on the terminal end of the line for attaching the line to an object such as a buoy so that when the scuba diver moves away from the buoy, the spool will rotate and pay out the line. An anti-backlash mechanism is provided for preventing the freewheeling of the spool when tension force thereon is removed. A rotatable pinch mechanism is provided for maintaining taut the line portion between the pinch mechanism and the spool.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,067 issued to Biba on Dec. 22, 1992 and describes a scuba diving take-up reel which comprises a plastic spool rotatably mounted between the two plastic halves of a housing. A spring motor is mounted to the housing and engages with a gear train connected to the housing such that a spring will sufficient to retract a length of line ten times as long connected to the spool and windable thereon. The housing has an opening which allows the entrance of water. The line is connected to a floating surface buoy and is automatically extended as a scuba diver descends to lower aquatic depths. Vanes extend radially from the spool and cooperate with the water to resist too rapid rewinding of the line onto the spool as a diver ascends. The housing has a hook-shaped handle for restraining of the reel and also has a clip which retains a writing instrument which may be used for underwater communication between divers by writing on a planar surface of the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,140 issued to Fundak on Aug. 17, 1999 and discloses a multi-purpose dive reel that automates underwater line handling. The improved multi-purpose dive reel includes an anti-fouling line control system comprising a flexible line wiper and line exit guide. The reel is manufactured using a high impact reinforced polymer construction that is lightweight, inexpensive and not affected by the often corrosive marine environment. The improved dive reel has an on/off spool lock switch and contoured smooth surface including a comfort grip containing a lanyard attachment loop. Optionally, the reel may further include a ratcheting spool lock switch, a luminous polymer pigment and a wave-washer spool tension control.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,780 issued to Gutierrez, Jr. on Sep. 9, 1998 and discloses a compact integrated marking buoy device with a self-adjusting integral reel that enables a person to easily mark a location on the seabed with a floating buoy. The buoy device includes a line control mechanism that enables the device, once placed in the water, to release the weight and automatically pay out only sufficient line to connect the buoy at the surface to the weight at the seabed, while preventing the release of any excess line once the weight has reached the seabed. The device permits paying out of additional line once the level of tension on the line again exceeds the threshold. The device further allows for easy retrieval of the weight and line through means internal to the marking buoy.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,922, issued to Feldkamp on Jun. 24, 1997, illustrates a hands-free dive flag connector comprising a retractable lanyard dispenser releasably attached to device gear on a scuba diver. Complementary hook and loop materials are attached to the dive gear and the retractable lanyard dispenser to form a releasable connection between the diver and the hands-free dive flag connector. A lanyard is retractably wound on a spool in the retractable lanyard dispenser and attached to the spool at a dispenser end. A spring in the retractable lanyard dispenser maintains tension on the lanyard between the diver and the dive flag attached to the lanyard. A lanyard connector is attached to the second end of the lanyard adjacent to an extended lanyard portion extending from the lanyard dispenser. The lanyard connector attaches to the dive flag.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,236, issued to Sims, Jr. on Sep. 23, 1975, discloses an elongated life line reel that may be used by a scuba diver to contain a length of line secured at one end to the reel, and at the other end to a float, so that at all times the diver's presence is known. As the diver descends, the line is unwound (or removed) from the reel, which is secured about his arm or leg by means of a pair of flexible straps respectively attached to the reel by a pair of spring members. The elongated shape of the reel allows the reel to fit securely on the forearm or leg of the diver, contains a long length of line and allows unrestricted movement of the diver in the water. The spring member's function is to permit easy attaching of the reel to the arm or leg and will operate to maintain the reel about the arm or leg at the different underwater pressures encountered by the diver.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,746, issued to Korsgaard on Sep. 3, 1974, provides a float tow guide line that includes a forwardly-located reel for storage of a line, and a rearwardly-located handle for guiding the line to a centrally located passage means. This arrangement allows for varying lengths of line to be stored by the handle while at the same time providing a centrally located line discharge means to prevent twisting of the handle during use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,298, issued to Maffatone on Jul. 12, 1994, concerns a safe ascent/decompression device for use in diving with an inflatable lift bag, including a pack for securing the ascent/decompression device on a diving harness worn by a diver. The device comprises a reel mounted for rotation to the pack and having a decompression line wound thereabout, the decompression line being connected to the lift bag; a cable having a first end and a second loop end; a snap shackle connected with the first end and releasably holding the loop end to secure the cable about a ship wreck, the snap shackle including a main section having an open side, a closure lever pivotally connected to the main section for movement between closed and open positions, and a spring-biased pin for releasably locking the closure lever in the closed position; a first release clip for receiving the decompression line to limit a rate of ascent of the lift bag connected to the decompression line, and being connected to the cable; a second release clip secured to the pack for engaging with the spring-biased pin of the snap shackle; an ascender, connected to the pack, for grabbing onto and moving along the rope in only one direction; and a spider for riding along a section of the decompression line extending between the lift bag when inflated and the reel, and for grabbing the ascender. The spider is connectable to a pull line for pulling the spider, and thereby the ascender, upwardly along the section of the decompression line.
In spite of these various devices and arrangements, a need remains in the art for a safety guide line that is hands-free and yet automatically takes up slack line as a diver returns/ascends upwardly to his point of origin.